27 December 2015

I'm not usually a very big false lash wearer, I find them quite fiddly and I don't normally have many fancy occasions to attend anyway! However now that we're on the lead up to New Years Eve, I wanted to ensure I had a nice pair of lashes to wear to celebrate the occasion.

I was contacted by a company who asked if I would like to try Threads Lashes, I pretty much jumped at the chance as I knew we were coming to the time of year when I would want to experiment more. I received three beautiful pairs of eyelashes that I want to share with you all, I think they would all be perfect for any occasion especially New Year.

The three sets of lashes I have are all completely different and unique in their own way, there is a set to suit everyones preferred intensity whether you're looking for a more natural look or a more intense look. The most natural set I have are the Rock Chic Lashes which are quite fine lashes that add a lot of length to your existing set, I really like these as the lashes cross over each other, this makes them appear more natural and gives you a really nice full effect.

Next we have the Vava Voom Lashes, they are quite similar to the previous set however they are of a more intense black colour and the little lashes themselves are slightly thicker. This set is perfect for adding more volume, they're a great length in my opinion as they don't appear too false when applied.

Last but very not least are the Sex Kitten Lashes, probably my least favourite out of the three as they are quite an intense set, not normally something I would reach for, however they are still really nice. The lashes are a deep black colour and they branch off to the side to give you a slanted look on the eye, they are really beautiful and create an amazing, intense look when applied.

What I really like about these lashes and why I would recommend them is because of how easy they are to apply, each set has a very fine but well made lash band which means they sit beautifully across your eyes and they will stay in place all day, they also look super natural because the band is pretty much invisible. I even got on with the lash glue that is provided with these, it wasn't bad at all!

These eyelashes are available currently exclusively available from the Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge store, so if you're local be sure to pop in and take a look.

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18 December 2015

When it comes to beauty boxes, its not really something I have tried before, mainly because I worry I will get a box full of things I won't like! I have tried the Cohorted Fragrance Box previously which was amazing and the value of what was inside was insane, therefore when the Cohorted December Beauty Box arrived at my door, I was pretty excited.

The main thing I have noticed and really like about the Cohorted boxes is that they contain a really good range of popular, well known branded products, even some products that I wouldn't necessarily go and buy myself as they're out of my price range. Anyway lets move on to see whats inside this edition of the beauty box...

16 December 2015

When it comes to Max Factor as a brand, it tends to be one of the ones I have tried a lot less of, for some reason when in Boots or Superdrug I am more inclined to go towards brands such as Rimmel and Maybelline, however recently I've been venturing into more brands to give their products a go. I used to love and swear by a mascara by Max Factor so I already knew the brand did some really good products and one of their foundations has now become a favourite of mine. I picked up a couple of their Wild Shadow Pots a while ago now, they seemed so affordable and I do love having single eyeshadows, especially when the shades were so pretty.

There are actually ten possible shades in the Wild Shadow Pot range, I picked out the two that caught my eye and ended up with the shades Burnt Bark and Auburn Envy, my ideal kind of shades especially for this time of year.

Burnt Bark is more of a cool toned shade, it reminds me a little of MAC Satin Taupe in that its a slightly dark, taupe shade with grey tones. I normally find cool toned eyeshadows don't suit me the well but this one seems to work lovely, I actually used it in my most recently tutorial on YouTube. Auburn Envy is the shade I've been wearing nearly every day, its a beautiful warm toned copper shade with lots of sparkle, its so pretty and I have received so many compliments when I have been wearing this. I've found this shade works really nice over the top of the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Creamy Beige, the shades match really well and this makes the shadow stay put all day long, although the lasting power of the shadows on their own is fantastic as it is.

You can use the eyeshadows wet or dry, of course the intensity of each shade improves quite a lot if you use them wet, so its entirely personal choice when it comes to how you decide to apply. Overall I really like the texture of the shadows and find them to work really lovely on the eyes, they are easy to blend and the pigmentation is as you see in the pan, I really do like these and will definitely be picking up more of the shades in the range, I have Savage Rose and Feral Brown on my wish list already!

The Wild Shadow Pots retail at just £4.99 each and can be found in Boots, Superdrug and some large supermarkets such as Sainsbury's and Tesco.

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06 December 2015

Happy December! We are officially on the countdown to Christmas and its safe to say I am extremely excited, I am thoroughly enjoying the month so far. November flew past, it was a pretty good month and I have some really good favourites to share with you today. Don't forget that you can also watch my November Favourites video over on my YouTube channel.

My first favourite is my new makeup bag, I received this gorgeous silk, personalised bag from MiaFleur* a few weeks ago and it has become a staple piece that I seem to now take everywhere with me. I love that this bag is neutral in colour, it matches really well with all of my handbags and looks really chic and elegant. I also love that the bag is made from a soft, flexible material which means I can use it to carry a small amount of things or I can cram it full if I need to. I really think this is such a beautiful piece and it would make a really lovely christmas present, its so unique and personal.

You may have noticed that I very rarely feature liquid foundations on my blog, I've never found one that works for me or looks good so I have always just stuck to my trusty Bare Minerals. I have however found a foundation that I love and its the MaxFactor Miracle Match foundation, I use this in the shade light ivory 40. I find myself running to this on lighter or no makeup days, it really evens out my skin tone and keeps my skin feeling nourished and hydrated which I really love. This is a more expensive foundation from the drugstore at £12.99 but I personally think its 100% worth that little bit extra.

Now that we're experiencing some seriously cold weather, my dry skin has definitely started to creep back onto the scene and I have needed some extreme hydration for my hands. I discovered the Dove Derma Spa Intensive Hand Treatment which has been working wonders for me so far. I can suffer from very dry, rough skin especially on my hands and so a good hand treatment is a must for me in Winter. I normally stick to a standard emollient but I'm so glad I found this product, even though the consistency is quite thin it sinks straight into the skin and leaves my hands feeling baby soft, you need to try this!

Next I have been thoroughly enjoying the Makeup Revolution Ultra Metals Powder Brush, a complete dupe for the Real Techniques Bold Metals collection and its a fab one at that. I can't express how amazing and soft this brush is, it feels like silk against my skin and the quality is so incredible for such an affordable makeup brand. The design of the brush is beautiful, with the silky white bristles and the rose gold handle it looks a complete dream in my collection.

Last but certainly not least are two favourites from Collection, a brand that seem to be getting better and better recently. The Eyes Uncovered Palette in Nude Bronze has been a staple for me ever since we entered Autumn, the shades are perfect for this time of year. All of the shades in this palette are shimmery/glittery so the palette is a great choice for Christmas time, I have been enjoying just a quick wash of one of the shades all over the lid on a daily basis, its so easy and looks lovely.

Onto the Speedy Highlighter which is one of Collections newer product releases, initially I didn't think I needed this when I first saw it because I already have a million other highlighters but I'm so glad I decided to buy this in the end. The shade is perfect for my paler complexion and the undertones just work perfectly for me, there is a really good balance of shimmer in here too but of course you could build the intensity up to suit your look. I'm currently opting for this over any of my other highlighters, the texture is lovely, it stays in place all day and the price is also a complete winner for me at under a fiver.

What products did you discover in November?

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29 November 2015

When I discovered that my favourite Olay Eye Gel had been discontinued it felt like the world was ending, it has been my favourite for such a long time and it has been one of the only products I have found to actually make a difference to my skin and work well underneath makeup. I went on a pretty big hunt for a new product to use, I really wanted to find a gel texture eye product as I feel like these work nicely underneath makeup, little did I know how hard it would be to find one!

Whilst roaming the aisles of Boots one day I spotted their Essentials line which I hadn't actually heard of or seen in stores before, until I spotted it on the shelves. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the range included a product called the Cucumber Eye Gel, a handy little tube of eye gel containing cucumber extracts and vitamins designed to cool, refresh and hydrate the eye area. The product only cost me £1.50 which made me think that the results wouldn't be that impressive, but I thought I'd give it a go as I hadn't found anything else at this point, and I am pleased to say that I have been extremely impressed!

When it comes to eye products, I look for things that target dark circles, puffiness and dehydration, as well as targeting those first signs of ageing. The product has a lovely consistency that melts into the eye area when applied, it feels extremely hydrating and really cooling which is really beneficial to me on the early mornings. I have also found that this works perfectly under my makeup, because the product has a nice thin consistency that absorbs into the skin straight away, it means my makeup goes on over the top like a dream, I find that my makeup doesn't sit nicely on top of thicker, more creamy eye products. I also want to note that this product is completely non sticky, has no artificial scent and works wonders on my very sensitive skin!

I am so glad I popped into Boots on that rainy day and spotted this product as it has made up for the fact that my original favourite eye gel was discontinued, because I have found an alternative that I love, and its a fraction of the price too! I still tend to use an alternative eye cream in the evenings, I tend to go for a product that targets first signs of ageing and then I use this product in the mornings.

Have you tried any of the Boots Essentials line? You can pick the eye gel up from most stores or order it online here.

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26 November 2015

Contouring is totally the in thing right now and in particular, cream contouring has become more popular over the last few months, especially now there are more budget friendly, drugstore kits and palettes to choose from. When I saw that Makeup Revolution had released a cream version of their contour kit, I ordered it straight away from their website, you know how much I love and trust this brand so it just had to be done!

The palette is very similar to many of the others by the range, encased in sleek black plastic with a large mirror inside, the palette also comes in a box with a handy photo on the back, showing you whats inside. For a drugstore palette that comes in at a very affordable price of just £8.00, I am of course really impressed by the lovely packaging, design, and the amount of product in there!

Moving onto whats inside, the palette contains 8 cream to powder shades to use for contouring and sculpting, ranging from light to dark and warm to cool, there is even a pretty highlighting shade in there too. The top four shades include a pale pink tone, yellow tone, peach tone and of course the beautiful shimmery white highlight. Onto the bottom shades which include a deep warm brown, an ash lighter brown, a medium brown and a golden shade.

The first thing I noticed about these cream shades was the pigmentation and the softness, I was amazed at how creamy and buttery the products felt to touch and how beautifully they blended into the skin, so effortlessly. You definitely only need to use a small amount of each shade when it comes to this palette, each shade comes across exactly as you see it in the pan, it is amazing! My skin type is normal/dry and I found that the shades lasted really well throughout the day, they lasted longer if I were to set them with a powder product over the top but this definitely isn't necessary if you don't wish to do so. The consistency of each shade is quite buttery and creamy so if your skin is quite oily, you may want to avoid this type of contour kit and opt for a powder version.

Overall I absolutely love this product, it allows me to create a really lovely sculpted look without looking too much or too false, its also a complete bargain at just £8.00! You can pick the palette up from Superdrug stores or order directly from the Makeup Revolution website.

Do you prefer cream or powder contouring products? What are your must haves?

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22 November 2015

When it comes to blogging I think there is one thing we all have in common, the love for pretty stationary and notebooks. I am forever buying new notebooks, I probably have enough to last my life time! Whether you plan to use yours to make simple notes, draft your posts or even to write your shopping list, I guarantee there will be one featured in this post that you will fall in love with!

Today I'm going to share with you some of my latest notebook purchases and some beautiful favourites that I have snapped up, some of which are complete bargains too, I am a complete bargain hunter and I love saving money where I can, its amazing what you can find in your local Supermarket or Home Bargains store.

Notebooks also look pretty just on shelves in your bedroom, they make great backgrounds/props for taking photographs, so they are well worth spending your pennies on! I apologise in advance that I couldn't link to many of these online, they were all purchased in store over the past few days/week so you should still be able to get your hands on most, if not all of them.

20 November 2015

I've never had a case or skin for my MacBook, I've never really looked into it if I'm honest but when it comes down to it, I probably should have some sort of protection on such a pricey piece of kit! A few weeks ago, an email from CaseApp arrived in my inbox offering me one of their skins to try, I kind of jumped at the opportunity as 1. I've always wanted to try a skin and 2. I knew they sold a Marble effect one!

CaseApp also sell cases and skins for most other devices including the iPhone and iPad, I think I may have to treat myself to the Marble iPhone case to match! The MacBook Pro skin that I decided to choose was a pre-made design available on the website, alternatively you can upload your own design or image and turn it into a skin or case for your device. I absolutely love the design I chose and it looks so sophisticated and lovely on my device, especially when the Apple lights up! Also, this makes an amazing background for taking photos on, if you're always lusting after that gorgeous marble effect all those dreamy blogs have!

Overall I am thoroughly enjoying my newly styled MacBook and I feel content that this will protect my device from nasty scratches etc, I just love how this looks especially against the silver.

I also have some good news for you guys, if you'd like to purchase a skin or case from CaseApp, you can use my code ALICEECASE20 to get 20% off your order. This could be the ideal christmas gift for someone.

Will you be adding one of these to your christmas list?

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08 November 2015

A few weeks ago, Collection released a selection of exciting new products to their brand including some really fab palettes, a very nice addition to see coming into the drugstore as there really is a slight lack of this type of product out there in the drugstore at the moment.

One of the new palettes that took my fancy straight away was the #BlushandGlow Blush Palette, firstly at a price of just £4.99 this is a palette that will suit everyones budget, the palette contains four very well sized powder products that you can use to create several beautiful looks. There is a bronzer, highlighter and two pretty blushes that I am dying to share with you all!

I've been trying this palette out ever since I picked it up in Boots and I am completely in love with it and the way it makes my skin look. The bronzer contained in here is actually a really good dupe for NARS Laguna, a bronzer I have had previously and has been my holy grail, until I smashed it. Although the bronze shade does have a slight warm tone to it, it is still completely wearable for all skin tones and I don't find this too warm for my pale complexion, it is definitely more of an all over bronzing shade over a contorting shade for me personally.

The pigmentation and quality of each powder is great, they don't feel chalky or powdery at all but almost feel buttery and creamy as you blend the product into the skin, and I must say that these are completely foolproof as they blend effortlessly into the skin. What I particularly like about the highlighting shade is that it is very natural, finely milled and has a really beautiful champagne undertone, you won't be left feeling super glittery wearing this, just lightly glowy and healthy! When it comes down to the two blush shades, you can choose between matte or a little shimmer, they are both super pigmented and the colour payoff is exactly what you see in the pan. One shade is slightly lighter and has a more dusky pink effect and the other is slightly deeper and more rosy toned, perfect for this time of year and would look stunning with a good berry lip!

I'm usually not a fan of the cardboard packaging when it comes to beauty products but for this I actually really like it, it doesn't feel heavy or clumsy meaning I can take it with me wherever I may need to go, the only downside is that the palette does not contain a mirror but instead I can carry one separately no problem. I really cannot recommend this little quad palette enough and if you haven't already snapped it up from Boots or Superdrug you should definitely do so, especially whilst the 3 for 2 is still on! This palette really is perfect for achieving a radiant and healthy complexion.

Whats your favourite bronzer this Autumn/Winter?

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05 November 2015

I'm really enjoying writing my monthly favourites posts at the moment, today I am going to share with you all of the wonderful things I have been loving in October, but before we start, where the hell did October go?!

I have done a fair amount of shopping in the past few weeks and also rediscovered some old loves in my collection. It is so satisfying when you find new products you love or remember how much you totally loved a product when you used it previously.

31 October 2015

As the year begins to come to an end, we can officially get excited for The Clothes Show Live, an amazing fashion, hair and beauty event that is returning to The NEC, Birmingham from 4th-8th December 2015. I have attended the show previously and its such a fab event, there are fashion brands, beauty brands, catwalks, makeovers, demonstrations and even the opportunity to meet a few celebrities such as Jamie Laing, Rick Edwards and Alice Levine. I highly recommend taking a trip to the event if you're interested in fashion and/or beauty in any way. An insight into some of the beauty brands attending this year are NYX Cosmetics, Barry M, Models Own, Rimmel and more.

I have partnered up with The Clothes Show to give away a pair of tickets to one lucky reader. The winning pair of tickets will be valid on Friday 4th December 2015 meaning you and your plus one would be attending on this date of the years most prestigious fashion event. Every ticket to the show includes a seat in the ALCATEL ONETOUCH Fashion Theatre, showcasing a high-energy spectacle of fashion, music and dance.

To enter the giveaway and to be in with a chance of winning the pair of tickets, you'll need to follow these simple rules:

1. The giveaway is open across the UK only2. You must have parental/guardian permission to enter if you're under the age of 183. Leave your email address so you can be contacted if you are the lucky winner4. Complete the mandatory entries above, you can also complete optional entries for more chances 5. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be selectedThe giveaway will run for two weeks from 31st October 2015 to 20th November 2015 with the winner being announced within 5 days of the end date. The tickets will be sent to the winner via The Clothes Show.For more information on the event please head to www.clothesshow.com

Good luck!

*The winning tickets have been provided by The Clothes Show Live however all opinions are my own.

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25 October 2015

Contouring is a relatively new thing for me and it's only recently that I've actually mastered how to do it properly, I'm definitely not a pro yet but hopefully one day I will master the art of contouring completely! I have found that in my experience and through trial and error, there are two very important factors when contouring:

1. having the right tool

2. having the right product

I have tried and tested a few different brushes for contouring and I have found five that I think are fantastic and I would highly recommend to anyone whether that be a beginner to contouring or a pro.

19 October 2015

Let me introduce you to probably the cheapest line of high quality lipsticks available on the market right now, the Makeup Revolution Amazing Lipsticks, at just £1 per shade I don't think you can really beat that when it comes to value for money. I have tried an array of products by the brand now and its safe to say they are definitely one of my favourites, one that I always stop by at when in my local Superdrug and I'm always checking their Twitter feed for new releases!

Amazing Lipsticks are packaged in a sleek black casing which is very similar in style to the lipsticks by MUA in that they have a swatch of the lipstick shade on the bottom, meaning you can quickly identify the shade you're looking for - genius! You can even unscrew the top cap to reveal more product with could be used with a lip brush if you desire. What I particularly liked about these is that they come sealed in plastic, so you know that the one you take home is brand new and hasn't been swatched by someone in the store (my biggest pet peeve). I think the only downfall I have to mention on the packaging is that the lids can become quite loose after time, so just be wary and careful of that when taking these out in your bag etc.

Over the months I have managed to obtain quite a collection of the Amazing Lipsticks, I think I have nearly every shade now! I have 10 in total ranging from light to dark and today I am going to share each shade with you.

12 October 2015

Life can be a busy, stressful and a challenge at times and that's why it's so important to ensure you are living a life you love and that you always do the things you want to do. We have to make the most of life, be happy and truly fulfil our potential, so I'm here with just a few of the things I feel we should all do more often and ensure we make time to do.

10 October 2015

A nude lip is an absolute staple in the beauty world and with a thousand different shades, brands and textures on the market now, it can be really tricky to find one that you really love.

You may or may not already know that I am already a fan of the Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick line, I have to admit that they are some of my favourite lipsticks I have ever owned. The texture, pigmentation, lasting power and amazing scent of these lipsticks is what wins me over every time and when I discovered the new nude range a few weeks ago, I did jump for joy slightly! I think I can officially class the Rimmel Kate Moss Nude Lipstick in #45 as my favourite nude to date, I can't bring myself to use any other nude since I discovered this particular shade.

04 October 2015

The brand W7 has been around for a pretty long time but I've only started to fully experience the brand ever since an outlet store landed in one of my local towns. So far the items I have tried from the brand have been really impressive, it's always so satisfying when you find a really great budget beauty brand.

One of the first things I picked up from the brand and one of my new favourite things are the W7 Lip Twisters, a retractable lip pencil which comes in at just £2.50 per shade. I particularly like the fact that the lip pencils are a retractable format, I for some reason really hate having to sharpen lip pencils, I always make such a mess!

One thing I find slightly annoying about these is that they don't have shades or numbers, but fortunately each shade is completely different so its pretty easy to distinguish between each one. There are four shades available and of course I decided to pick up one of each! The four shades include a nude, light pink, red and a berry shade. Each one is really pretty and works nicely with a range of different lipsticks from all different brands, and different textures too.

29 September 2015

September has been a very busy month, in all irony I'm not sure where the month has gone, it feels like we are so close to Christmas now! Even though I've not been that active on my blog over this month I have still been trying new things and of course wearing my favourite beauty products.

Today I will be telling you more about all the things I have been enjoying in the past thirty odd days from skincare to makeup. I am a big lover of discovering amazing new products but also digging out some of the gooduns' you know and trust. Lets see what has been happening in September!

27 September 2015

Finally, at long last, the Maybelline Colour Tattoo colour range has been expanded and its probably the highlight of my week. Colour Tattoos are one of my absolute favourite things and I find myself using one on a daily basis. Maybelline have now released new shades of their little cream eyeshadows, in the form of more neutral, base shades, that are very similar to a couple of the Paint Pots by MAC.

New shades include Creme de Rose which is the one I decided to pick up and there is also Creme de Nude, which is a very yellow based neutral shade, extremely similar to MAC Soft Ochre, I found this to be too yellow for me so decided not to pick it up. Creme de Rose is a complete dupe for MAC Painterly, a signature shade that is loved and used by so many in the beauty world including myself. This new shade from Maybelline is a beautiful neutral pink tone that works wonders on paler skin tones at covering redness, imperfections and giving you a blank canvas for your favourite eye look. What I particularly love about the new shades from Maybelline is that they are completely matte, no shimmer at all which makes them so versatile and perfect for everyday.

I've been using Creme de Rose on my eyes all week and I couldn't want any longer to let you guys know about it, that's if you haven't already snapped it up yourself! I'm a very simply eye kinda girl and on a day to day basis I find myself whacking on a small amount of this, blending a very light taupe/brown shadow into my crease and that's it, I'm ready for the day. This shade lives up to all my hoped expectations, just like the other shades in the range, the product is super soft, creamy and blends into the eyelid beautifully, leaving you with a beautiful hint of colour that lasts all day and does not budge until you ask it to!

When it comes to comparing this to Painterly by MAC, I honestly cannot seem to find a difference between the two. They work in the same way, give the same result and are the same shade, so if you want to save yourself some pennies then this is 100% a place to do so.

You can pick these new Colour Tattoo shades up now for just £4.99 from Boots, they're also included in the 3 for 2 so even more of an excuse to pick up both! Have you tried the new shades yet? Which do you prefer?

09 August 2015

Looking back to over a year ago, I had no idea what a beauty blender was and now I can't go a day without using one, well not the real thing but instead one of the fab alternatives I have discovered.

The original beauty blender comes in at around £16-£18 in the UK, which I've always felt is a lot of money for a sponge and although they look amazing and I hear nothing but solid things, I still wanted to find cheaper alternatives that may potentially work just as well. There are a ton of brands who now offer beauty sponges that look identical to the original, ranging from Cosmopolitan, Models Own, W7 and Real Techniques.

Today I will be sharing with you my selection of blending sponges that I think work fantastically and they cost a fraction of the price you'd pay for the real thing.

03 August 2015

When it comes to stationary I must say I am a little bit of an obsessive, I do love a good pretty notepad or cute stack of post it notes. I'm always spotting really lovely stationary bits in such random shops and I wanted to share a few places with you guys, as I sometimes receive questions on Instagram and Twitter!

The first place is probably an obvious one and thats Paperchase which is an absolute dream of a shop for anyone who is like me, although it's not the cheapest shop ever, it's definitely worth it when you find the perfect item. What I love about Paperchase is that you can buy things in sets, so you can have all sorts of pieces on your desk that match each other, or you can pick different pieces from each collection to mix it up! One of my favourite things from this store is the weekly planners they sell, they are such a good and useful piece to have whether you're a blogger or not.

I also find myself popping into TK Maxxquite often to browse their stationary department which I must say is pretty darn good at the best of times. The only problem with this store is that once something has gone, that's usually it, but if you get there at the right time you might just find exactly what you're looking for. I really love that you can find the most unique piece in TK Maxx and most of the time it won't cost you an arm and a leg either.

A pretty random place that I recently popped into and walked out with a bag full is actually Sainsbury's. I was casually browsing the aisles actually looking for a birthday card when I suddenly spotted shelves of beautiful notebooks and folders in pretty pink floral prints and so on. Supermarkets are great places to pick up new stationary as most of the time it's really inexpensive meaning you can get more for your money!

Some other places I have recently been to that have had some lovely blog perfect stationary includes Tesco, Wilko, The Rangeand even eBay.

I would love to know your favourite stationary store, let me know in the comments.

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30 July 2015

So the other day I was finishing work and I really fancied some comfort food, I went on Twitter to see that someone was having chocolate dipped flapjack and from there I went straight to Sainsbury's to buy myself some ingredients! I hadn't had flapjack in ages, it's always been something my Mum has made in the past and I must admit it is one of my favourite little homemade treats. I posted a photograph of my finished flapjacks on Instagram and a couple of people asked if I would be posting the recipe on my blog, so here it is for you all!

23 July 2015

I think mascara is probably the product I own the most of, when new ones are released I seem to always have to give them a go. Mascara is one of the beauty products which I simply could not go without when I'm wearing makeup, I feel like it completes any makeup look and I just love how fluttery and lovely you can make your lashes look! Within this post I have compiled my all time favourites for straight lashes. I have naturally very poker straight lashes which are actually quite a decent length once they're curled but they just drop so easily and it takes a pretty hefty waterproof mascara to keep them in place. In this post I'm going to share my current favourite mascara's that work the best for me, these are all in the waterproof formula so these have all been tried and tested - some for a couple of years and some are new purchases that I've fallen in love with.

16 July 2015

I've heard a lot about the brand Essence ever since I started writing my blog, it was always a brand that popped up on the American blog posts and youtube videos, I have wanted to try so many products for a while but just wasn't sure how to get my hands on them in the UK. When I popped into my local Wilko store a few weeks ago I discovered they had an Essence stand, I had heard rumours that this was one of the places the brand was available in the UK, but hadn't managed to find it as of yet. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to purchase so I just went for a few of the basics to get started.

10 July 2015

Today I am bringing you an exciting new product from Kiss Cosmetics, a cosmetic brand that launched in 2014, I've not tried or seen anything by the brand as of yet but I am super excited to try more. Kiss Cosmetics is a pretty affordable brand who create some amazing lipstick shades for just £7.00 each. One thing I would like to mention is that the brand are 100% cruelty free and all product ingredients are clearly listed on the packaging, I find this extremely helpful as I do suffer from allergies so I do need to check any products I use on my skin.

I was lucky enough to receive one of the new products being launched this weekend, the Colour Switch* product can completely change the way your lipstick looks and it so easy and simple to do. The product is encased exactly like any other lipstick, I really like the packaging as its simple, white and cute.

To create your desired effect you simply apply Colour Switch to the lips in an even coat, I found it easiest to apply this with a brush to create an even layer. Then apply your favourite lipstick over the top, I went for the shade 'Lady in Red' by Kiss Cosmetics which is a deep toned true red. I was particularly impressed with the quality, texture and pigmentation of the lipstick alone on first application. By using Colour Switch underneath this shade, it turns it into a more pinky toned red which is beautiful, creamy and has incredible lasting power, which really surprised me too. Have you ever picked up a dark lipstick and found it just slightly too overpowering? Well applying this product underneath can tone that shade down and give you a more subtle, lighter colour on the lips.

This product is such an innovative idea and I can see it becoming a favourite in many makeup bags, I find it fascinating that you can turn your favourite lipstick into more shades.

Colour Switch retails at £9.00 and will be available from the Kiss Cosmetics website from 16th July but if you can't wait that long, you'll be able to grab one this weekend at IMATS, London.

Have you tried anything from Kiss Cosmetics yet?

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07 July 2015

Recently new in at the drugstore is a fab little contour kit by Maybelline, the drugstore are really upping their game when it comes to contouring and highlighting! I love a good contour kit and I particularly love how compact, cute and put together this one is. Available in two shades, light-medium and medium-dark, I actually ended up picking up the darker shade out of the two, it seemed more ash toned and I felt that the lighter shade didn't really show up on my skin.

I discovered this little gem whilst on a lunch break back in June, I hadn't heard much about it but knew I had to pick one up to try! The product is divided into two sections, one side is the contouring brown shade and the other is a light highlight shade, then underneath there is a small compartment with a mirror and miniature contouring brush! Both of the shades in this palette are stunning, I find the brown to be absolutely perfect for contouring as it has that cool, ash tone to it, which works really well at creating a natural looking shadow. I find the highlight shade to be just perfect for an everyday glow, without looking too overpowering or glittery, it really is such a pretty colour. In terms of the actual brush that comes with the palette, it's actually really quite good, it distributes the product evenly and you can really sculpt the areas you wish to, as the brush is dense and slim.

I would say this palette is perfect for anyone looking for a general daytime contour kit, something that is compact and easy to use and looks natural once applied. This kit is perfect in that it isn't too dark, too dramatic or too much, so even if you're a beginner I think you'll find this fab. You'll also love how long lasting and creamy the formula is, I can safely say this product stays all day and looks just as good at the end of the day as it did at the beginning.

The Maybelline contour palette is available now in drugstores and elsewhere! What's your favourite contour kit?

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05 July 2015

I really can't believe how quickly the year is going and how soon Summer has come upon us! Over the month of June I was loving a fair few different things, its been a pretty good month all round. Don't forget that you can find out more about this months favourites over on my YouTube channel.